EU proposes limiting TV product placement, ads

BRUSSELS, March 9 (Reuters) - The European Commission today proposed rules for television that would limit product placement and advertising and which say broadcasters would have to obey rules applicable only in their home country.

The proposal takes into consideration conclusions from the sometimes heated debate among EU member countries and is yet to be approved by them and the European Parliament.

''I am confident that we will now achieve political agreement on the new 'Audiovisual Without Frontiers' Directive by the end of May,'' the EU's Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding said in a statement.

The proposal says product placement should be excluded from children's programmes, news, current affairs shows and documentaries, but not films.

It also wants to limit advertising to 12 minutes an hour and said films, children's programmes, current affairs and news should not be interrupted by adverts more than once every 30 minutes.

The Commission wants to update rules for broadcasters which have been in place since 1989 to catch up with new developments such as ''on-demand'' programmes, changing viewing habits and technologies such as programmes downloaded to mobile telephones.

REUTERS DKA VC1744